Horizon Forbidden West's Skill Trees are a Great Foundation to Build On
Horizon Zero Dawn laid the groundwork for a ton of worldbuilding, especially with a memorable narrative reveal near its conclusion. While it was narratively satisfying, there were many changes fans hoped to see in Horizon Forbidden West. One such change was an improvement to Horizon Zero Dawn’s traversal, with the hope that Aloy would be able to free-climb as fluidly as Link does in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. This wish was not granted, but Horizon Forbidden West does improve upon combat and traversal, and adds a thorough skill tree.
Horizon Forbidden Westintroduced better combination potential for its melee spear combat, but its traversal truly outshines the predecessor. Aloy is now able to swim infinitely with a particular gadget, scale rock faces somewhat freely, grapple to perches, or glide safely from any height. Where Horizon Forbidden West excels the most by expanding RPG mechanics in a skill tree more diverse and rewarding than Horizon Zero Dawn’s, setting a foundation that Guerrilla should build on in future Horizon games.
Horizon Forbidden West Engine Being Used in Other Projects
Horizon Forbidden West’s skill tree is elaborate and a fantastic aid in progression. Players must purchase individual nodes that cost a predetermined number of skill points, and make their way down one of six branches: Warrior, Trapper, Hunter, Survivor, Infiltrator, and Machine Master. Each branch has its own niche abilities and passive buffs for a particular playstyle, such as an emphasis on spear melee mastery, stealth, or the player’s ability to override and mount certain machines.
If players are disinterested in a particular mechanic, they are afforded the option to not spend points on those abilities. Each skill path is
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